A state report released Monday indicates the University of California lacks the funding and classroom space to accommodate a projected increase of 20,243 students to the system by 2019.
Titled, "Ready or Not, Here They Come," the report, authored by members of the California Postsecondary Education Commission, also projects that by 2019, the demand for undergraduate enrollment across the California public higher education system will increase by 16.4 percent, or 387,386 students.
Based on recent graduation and enrollment trends, the report projects that most UC campuses do not have the physical capacity to accommodate the projected increase, with just one exception.
"(UC) Merced has the physical capacity to handle enrollment growth and we expect it to continue to grow," said UC spokesperson Ricardo Vazquez. "But, like the rest of our campuses, Merced cannot enroll more students if state funding to support them is not forthcoming."
The report projects neither UC Berkeley nor UCLA have the land available to adequately expand their facilities.
"Campuses need to think about intersegmental agreements where facilities can be shared," said Stacy Wilson, senior researcher for the commission. "Perhaps Berkeley could partner with ... community colleges to share facility space."
Wilson added that campuses could also increase capacity by offering more weekend and evening courses or
learning opportunities that do not require physical use of facilities.
UC campuses currently have a total deficiency of 17,424 square feet of lecture and laboratory space, which will increase to 25,660 if the system does not accommodate for the increase in undergraduate enrollment.
According to the report, the projected increase of 387,386 additional students to the state's public higher education system will require an additional $1.5 billion in funding by 2019. If current funding levels are held constant, the system will be unable to accommodate 277,733 of the prospective students.
